JP6972295B2 - Vehicle control system and vehicle control method - Google Patents

Description

Aspects of the present invention relate to a vehicle control system, a vehicle control device, and a vehicle control method.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-29732 filed in Japan on February 22, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

In recent years, research has been conducted on the automatic control of vehicles. For example, a system is known in which the user identifies the next place to use the self-driving vehicle based on the schedule information input by the user, and sets the specified place as the destination of the self-driving vehicle (for example,). See Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-048563

However, in conventional systems, if the user does not use the self-driving vehicle after arriving at the destination, the self-driving vehicle must be parked in the parking lot to prepare for the user's next use. In some cases, the vehicle could not be fully utilized.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and is a vehicle control system, a vehicle control device, and a vehicle control capable of promoting the use of the autonomous driving vehicle during the period when the user does not use the autonomous driving vehicle. One of the purposes is to provide a method.

The vehicle control system, the vehicle control device, and the vehicle control method according to the present invention adopt the following configurations.
(1): One aspect of the present invention manages a predetermined service provided by the user without using the self-driving vehicle during the non-use period set in the user's schedule for using the self-driving vehicle. It is a vehicle control system including a service management unit and a control unit that generates an action plan of the autonomous driving vehicle during the non-use period according to the predetermined service managed by the service management unit.

(2): In the embodiment of (1) above, the service management unit notifies the user of one or more service candidates that can be provided by the user without using the self-driving vehicle, and is selected by the user. Processing is performed so that the provided service is provided as the predetermined service.

(3): In the aspect of (2) above, the service management unit includes one or more service candidates that can be provided by the user without using the automatic driving vehicle, and each service included in the service candidates. The user is given the attribute of the service including at least one of the content of the above, the time required for each service included in the candidate service, and the change tolerance indicating the ease of change of each service included in the candidate service. Notice.

(4): In the embodiment of (1) above, the service management unit is providing the predetermined service, and when the setting of the predetermined service being provided is changed, or the predetermined service being provided is being provided. In at least one of the cases where the setting of is expected to be changed, the content of the predetermined service being provided is changed.

(5): In the embodiment of (1) above, the service management unit changes the settings related to the predetermined service being provided based on the information received from the terminal device of the user while the predetermined service is being provided. do.

(6): In the aspect of the above (1), when the service management unit predicts that the self-driving vehicle cannot return to the designated place by the designated time in the provision of the predetermined service, the user's A continuation confirmation notice for confirming whether or not to continue providing the service is transmitted to the terminal device.

(7): In the aspect of the above (1), the service management unit is the time information included in the usage schedule, and the predetermined service is based on the merging time when the user joins the user after getting off the user. To decide.

(8): One aspect of the present invention provides information on a predetermined service provided by the user without using the self-driving vehicle during the non-use period set in the user's schedule for using the self-driving vehicle. It is a vehicle control device including an acquisition unit to be acquired and a control unit to generate an action plan of the autonomous driving vehicle in the non-use period based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit.

(9): One aspect of the present invention is provided in a state in which one or more computers do not use the self-driving vehicle during the non-use period set in the user's schedule for using the self-driving vehicle. It is a vehicle control method that manages a predetermined service and generates an action plan of the autonomous driving vehicle during the non-use period according to the predetermined service.

According to (1) to (9), it is possible to promote the use of the self-driving vehicle during the period when the user does not use the self-driving vehicle.

It is a block diagram of the vehicle control system 1 which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram of the service management apparatus 500. It is a figure which shows an example of the contents of schedule information 531. It is a figure which shows an example of the contents of the service condition information 532. It is a figure which shows an example of the contents of the position information 533. It is a figure which shows an example of the contents of the vehicle status information 534. It is a figure which shows an example of the contents of the usage history information 535. It is a block diagram of the vehicle control device 5 which concerns on embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the 1st control unit 120 and the 2nd control unit 160. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the flow of a series of processing by the vehicle control system 1 of an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a service decision process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a pre-confirmation process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the end instruction processing. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a service adjustment process. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware composition of the automatic operation control device 100 of an embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle control system, vehicle control device, and vehicle control method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle control system 1 according to an embodiment. The vehicle control system 1 is realized by one or more processors (computers). The vehicle control system 1 includes, for example, one or more vehicle control devices 5, one or more terminal devices 300, a service management device 500, a cleaning management server 700, and a vehicle allocation management server 900. The vehicle control device 5 is an in-vehicle device mounted on an autonomous driving vehicle having an automatic driving function. The self-driving vehicle is, for example, a private vehicle of the owner X. The terminal device 300 is a terminal device owned by the owner X, and is a portable type having at least a communication function and an information input / output function, such as a mobile phone such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook computer, and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). It is a terminal device.

The service management device 500 manages a service (hereinafter referred to as a second service) provided by the owner X without using the self-driving vehicle. In the second service, the self-driving vehicle moves to a place corresponding to the second service or travels on a route corresponding to the second service. The second service includes, for example, a cleaning service, a car sharing service, a taxi service, a charging service, a delivery service, a delivery box service, and the like. For example, in the cleaning service, the self-driving vehicle of Owner X is driven to the cleaning facility, and the cleaning work (cleaning of the car body, cleaning of the inside of the vehicle, change of seat arrangement, inspection, other maintenance, etc.) is completed at the cleaning facility. After that, it is a service that drives an autonomous vehicle to a designated place. For example, the car sharing service is a service that utilizes the self-driving vehicle of the owner X as a vehicle used by a user other than the owner X (hereinafter referred to as a share car). For example, the taxi service is a service that utilizes the self-driving vehicle of owner X as a taxi. For example, in the charging service, the self-driving vehicle of Owner X is driven to a charging facility or a gasoline station for charging the battery of an electric vehicle, and after being charged by the charging facility or the gasoline station or supplied with gasoline, it reaches a designated place. This is a service for driving self-driving vehicles. The delivery service is a service in which a delivery is placed on an autonomous vehicle and transported to a delivery destination in cooperation with a courier company. The courier box service is a service that utilizes an autonomous vehicle as a courier box. For example, the autonomous vehicle picks up the delivery to the user who comes to pick it up within a predetermined time to the collection center of the courier company, and as it is , It is a service that stores in an autonomous vehicle and delivers it when the user who is the delivery destination of the delivery comes to the autonomous vehicle.

When the service management device 500 performs a process for providing a cleaning service, the service management device 500 communicates with the cleaning management server 700 to acquire predetermined information. Further, when the service management device 500 performs a process for providing a car sharing service or a taxi service, the service management device 500 communicates with the vehicle allocation management server 900 to acquire predetermined information. The service management device 500 may communicate with other external servers to acquire information necessary for providing the second service (for example, information on the usage status of the charging facility, the equipment of the gas station, and the like).

The cleaning management server 700 is a server operated by a business operator such as a cleaning company, and receives information regarding a cleaning request from a customer and provides various services related to vehicle cleaning. When the service management device 500 instructs the cleaning management server 700 to introduce a cleaning facility, the cleaning management server 700 selects a cleaning facility according to the cleaning request from a plurality of cleaning facilities, and provides information on the selected cleaning facility to the service management device. Send to 500. The services that can be provided by each cleaning facility often differ depending on the equipment and personnel of each facility.

The vehicle allocation management server 900 is a server operated by a business operator such as a taxi company or a car sharing company, and receives information regarding a vehicle allocation request from a customer and provides various services related to vehicle allocation. The vehicle allocation management server 900 instructs the service management device 500 to allocate an autonomous vehicle in response to a vehicle allocation request from a customer. For example, the vehicle allocation management server 900 transmits information regarding a vehicle allocation request from a customer (for example, a calling place, a meeting time, a reserved number of people, a destination, etc.) to the service management device 500 to instruct vehicle allocation. The calling place is the place where the share car or taxi picks up the customer. Further, the vehicle allocation management server 900 may transmit information indicating an area where customers are likely to be picked up when traveling by a sink taxi or an area where a shared car or a taxi is insufficient to the service management device 500.

The vehicle control device 5, the terminal device 300, the service management device 500, the cleaning management server 700, and the vehicle allocation management server 900 are connected to each other by a network NW, and communicate with each other via the network NW. The network NW includes, for example, a part or all of WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), the Internet, a dedicated line, a wireless base station, a provider, and the like.

Here, an example of a usage scene of the vehicle control system 1 according to the embodiment will be described. For example, suppose owner X gets on an autonomous vehicle, leaves his home, and arrives at his destination, a shopping mall, in the morning. Owner X plans to stay in the shopping mall until the evening. In such a scene, the owner X can receive the second service during the period from the arrival at the shopping mall to the return. The owner X uses, for example, the interface of the terminal device 300 or the vehicle control device 5 to set the usage time and the return point to be the designated place as the schedule information of the owner X. For example, the usage time is from 10 am to 5 pm, and the return point is a shopping mall. The vehicle control device 5 and the service management device 500 drive the self-driving vehicle so that they can return to the shopping center by 5 pm. The usage scene of the second service is not limited to this, and it can be used as a taxi during the period when the self-driving vehicle is not used by the owner X, for example, during the daytime on weekdays or at night on Saturdays and Sundays. In this case, the return point is the home of owner X or the like.

[Service management device 500]
First, the service management device 500 will be described. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the service management device 500. The service management device 500 includes a communication unit 510, a service management unit 520, and a storage unit 530. The communication unit 510 includes, for example, a communication interface such as a NIC. The storage unit 530 is, for example, a flash memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like. Information such as schedule information 531, service condition information 532, location information 533, vehicle status information 534, and usage history information 535 is stored in the storage unit 530. The storage unit 530 may be an external storage device such as NAS (Network Attached Storage) that the service management device 500 can access via a network. The service management unit 520 executes various processes described below by using the information stored in the storage unit 530.

The schedule information 531 is information regarding the usage schedule of the autonomous driving vehicle. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the schedule information 531. As shown in FIG. 3, the schedule information 531 is information in which a time zone, an owner schedule, a service schedule, and a return point are associated with a date. A table as shown in FIG. 3 is prepared for each owner. The date and time zone are the dates and times when the self-driving vehicle is scheduled to be used. The owner schedule is the personal schedule of the owner X and is registered by the owner X. The owner schedule includes information indicating the usage schedule of the self-driving vehicle by the owner X, and includes, for example, a destination, a purpose of use, and the like. The service schedule includes information indicating the usage schedule of the second service, for example, information indicating the type of the second service. In the service schedule, "○" indicating that a schedule for some second service is set or "-" indicating that a schedule for the second service is not set may be described. The usage schedule may be set by the owner X, or may be set by the service management device 500 based on the usage schedule set by the owner X, the service condition information 532, and the like. The return point is a point where the self-driving vehicle returns after the second service is completed, and is, for example, a point desired by the owner X as a point where the self-driving vehicle merges with the self-driving vehicle.

The service condition information 532 is information indicating the service condition set by the owner X. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the service condition information 532. As shown in FIG. 4, the service condition information 532 associates the service type with change tolerance, service degree, service frequency, minimum required time, priority, area limit, time zone limit, user limit, and the like. Information. The service condition information 532 is information indicating the conditions desired by the owner X when receiving the provision of the second service. The type of service is information indicating the type of the second service, for example, the name of the second service. The change tolerance is information indicating the degree to which the change of the second service is tolerated, and may define the degree to which the change is tolerated in addition to the presence or absence of the allowance. The degree of service includes, for example, firmness and simplicity, and is the degree in the second service in which the degree of service is set in stages. The frequency of the service is the frequency of use of each second service desired by the owner X. The minimum required time is the lower limit of the time length of each second service desired by the owner X. For example, it is possible to distinguish between an owner who wants to drive as a taxi if he has 30 minutes and an owner who does not want to drive as a taxi unless he has at least 2 hours. The priority is a priority when determining the second service provided by the service management device 500. The area limit indicates the area in which the self-driving vehicle can travel while the second service is being provided. The time zone limit indicates the time zone during which the self-driving vehicle can travel while the second service is being provided. The user restriction indicates a restriction on the number of passengers who can get on the self-driving vehicle.

The position information 533 is information indicating the position of the self-driving vehicle. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the position information 533. As shown in FIG. 5, the position information 533 is information in which the vehicle position information and the owner position information are associated with each other on the date and time. The vehicle position information is information indicating the position of the autonomous driving vehicle acquired by the navigation device 50. The owner position information is information indicating the position of the terminal device 300 acquired by the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) or the like of the terminal device 300 possessed by the owner X.

The vehicle status information 534 is information indicating the state of each autonomously driven vehicle. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the vehicle status information 534. As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle status information 534 is information in which the vehicle ID is associated with the presence / absence of service provision, the type of service, the progress status of the service, the traveling mode, the return point, the traveling mode, and the like. The vehicle ID is identification information that identifies each autonomously driven vehicle. Whether or not the service is provided is information indicating whether or not the service is being provided. The progress status of the service is information indicating the progress level of the service being provided, the content of the service being provided, and the like. The traveling mode is a traveling mode of an autonomous vehicle, and includes, for example, a sink taxi, a calling taxi, a private car, and the like. The details of the traveling mode will be described later.

The usage history information 535 is the history information of the second service provided by each owner X. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the usage history information 535. As shown in FIG. 7, the usage history information 535 is information in which the type of service, the first action plan, the number of changes, and the like are associated with the service period. The service period and the first action plan will be described later. The number of changes is the number of times the content of the provided service has been changed.

Returning to FIG. 2, the service management unit 520 includes, for example, a schedule management unit 521, an owner information management unit 522, a vehicle position management unit 523, a service determination unit 524, a service adjustment unit 525, and a cleaning management unit 526. , A vehicle allocation management unit 527 and a charge management unit 528 are provided. Some or all of these components are realized by, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software) stored in the storage unit 530. In addition, some or all of the functions of these components are hardware such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). It may be realized by (circuit unit; including circuitry), or it may be realized by the cooperation of software and hardware.

The schedule management unit 521 updates the schedule information 531 based on the information received from the vehicle control device 5 or the terminal device 300 using the communication unit 510. Further, the schedule management unit 521 may refer to the schedule information 531 and the service condition information 532 to create a usage schedule for the autonomous driving vehicle and add it to the schedule information 531. For example, the schedule management unit 521 creates a service schedule in a set time zone (for example, a period from midnight to 5:00 am on weekdays) based on the time zone limit of the service condition information 532.

The owner information management unit 522 updates the service condition information 532 based on the information received from the terminal device 300 using the communication unit 510.

The vehicle position management unit 523 updates the position information 533 based on the position information received from the vehicle control device 5 using the communication unit 510. Further, the vehicle position management unit 523 may update the position information 533 based on the position information received from the terminal device 300 by using the communication unit 510.

The service determination unit 524 determines a period during which the second service can be provided by the service management device 500 (hereinafter referred to as a service period). For example, the service determination unit 524 refers to the schedule information 531 and, in the usage schedule of the self-driving vehicle, the non-use period in which the owner X does not use the self-driving vehicle (for example, the period when the owner X does not have a schedule, the owner X The period during which some schedule for the second service is set) is determined as the service period. The service period includes, for example, the period when the owner X does not use the self-driving vehicle at night or during the daytime on weekdays, or when the owner X is out and does not use the self-driving vehicle (for example, from the arrival at the shopping mall to the return). Period) is included. The service determination unit 524 may refer to the service condition information 532 and set the period in which the owner X does not use the self-driving vehicle and which meets the service conditions as the service period.

The service determination unit 524 may determine the service period based on the time information included in the schedule information 531. For example, in the car heading to the shopping mall, when the merging time to join the owner X after the owner X gets off is set by the owner X, the schedule management unit 521 sets the current time as the start time. Schedule information 531 is registered for the schedule whose end time is the merging time. The service determination unit 524 determines the service period from the time when the owner X gets off to the set merging time with reference to the schedule information 531.

The service determination unit 524 determines the end time of the service period at the return time of the self-driving vehicle.

The service determination unit 524 determines the second service (hereinafter referred to as the provided service) provided during the service period. For example, the service determination unit 524 may select one of one or more second services (hereinafter referred to as service candidates) in which the self-driving vehicle can return to the designated return point by the end time of the service period. , Decide on the service to be provided. If there is a usage restriction according to each second service, the service determination unit 524 determines a service candidate based on the usage restriction. For example, in the cleaning service, there are restrictions on the number of cleaning facilities provided and the number of vehicles that can be cleaned at each cleaning facility. Therefore, the service determination unit 524 acquires information on the usage status of the cleaning facility from the cleaning management server 700, and determines a service candidate based on the acquired information. In addition, in the car sharing service, there may be a limit on the space for stopping or parking the shared car. Therefore, the service determination unit 524 acquires information on the usage status of the shared car and the space for stopping or parking from the vehicle allocation management server 900, and determines a service candidate based on the acquired information.

For example, the service determination unit 524 notifies the owner X of the service candidate by transmitting information about the service candidate to the vehicle control device 5 or the terminal device 300 using the communication unit 510. The information about the service candidate is information indicating the attribute of the second service included in the service candidate, for example, the content of the second service included in the service candidate, the required time of the second service included in the service candidate, and the service candidate. Includes changeability, which indicates how easy it is to change the second service. The contents of the second service include, for example, the type of the second service, the position on the map of the facility to be used, the area of the traveling route, the destination set when traveling as a shared car or a taxi, and the like. The changeability of the second service is, for example, information indicating flexibility when the service provider changes the initial schedule during the provision of the second service. For example, if the usage status of the cleaning facility included in the service candidate is not crowded, the changeability is high, and if it is crowded, the changeability is low. The owner X can select a desired second service from a plurality of service candidates by referring to the attributes of these second services. The service determination unit 524 determines the second service selected by the owner X from the service candidates as the provided service based on the information received from the vehicle control device 5 or the terminal device 300 using the communication unit 510.

Further, the service determination unit 524 may refer to the service condition information 532 and determine the second service that best matches the service conditions from the service candidates as the service to be provided. The second service that best matches the service conditions is, for example, the second service with the lowest ratio of the actual usage frequency to the frequency defined in "service frequency" (usage frequency desired by owner X), "minimum". The second service with the smallest difference between the length of time defined in "Time required" and the length of service period determined by the service determination unit 524, the second service with the highest ranking defined in "Priority", The second service, etc., which has the longest service period included in the time zone defined in the "time zone limit" is included. Further, the service determination unit 524 may derive the degree of matching with the service condition in a complex manner based on a plurality of conditions, and determine the provided service based on the derived degree.

Further, the service determination unit 524 may refer to the usage history information 535 and determine the second service that matches the usage tendency of the owner X from the service candidates as the providing service. For example, the service determination unit 524 derives the days of the week and the time zone in which the usage tendency of each second service is high, and provides the second service having the largest matching portion (time length) between the derived day of the week and time zone and the service period. To decide.

The service determination unit 524 transmits information on the provided service to the vehicle control device 5 or the terminal device 300 using the communication unit 510, requests the owner X for consent to provide the provided service during the service period, and the owner X asks the owner X for consent. If consent is obtained, processing for providing the provided service may be performed.

Further, the service determination unit 524 may determine the second service as the providing service when the second service in the service period is set in advance by the owner X in the schedule information 531.

Further, when the strictness of the service period is set low, the service determination unit 524 may determine the service to be provided even if the service is a second service whose usage time extends beyond the service period. The strictness of the service period is set by the owner X as a part of the service condition information 532.

During the provision of the provided service, the service determination unit 524 ends the use of the provided service in order to return to the return point by the end time of the service period based on the current time and the current position of the self-driving vehicle. (Hereinafter referred to as the service usage end time) is derived. For example, when the provided service is a cleaning service, the service end time is the latest time to leave the cleaning facility. When the provided service is a car sharing service or a taxi service, the service use end time is the time when the traveling as a shared car or a taxi ends. For example, the service determination unit 524 determines the time when the vehicle travels from the current position or destination of the self-driving vehicle (for example, the location of a cleaning facility, the destination set by a share car or a taxi passenger) to the return point. Based on the total time including the spare time, the service usage end time is calculated back from the end time of the second service period. The service determination unit 524 may derive the second service use end time based on the traffic jam on the route to the return point, the traffic jam on the route to the destination, and the like. Then, the service determination unit 524 transmits the derived service use end time to the vehicle control device 5.

The service determination unit 524 determines the first action plan during the service period. The first action plan includes a destination, a traveling mode, a traveling schedule, a traveling route, and the like. In addition, the first action plan includes information for driving the autonomous driving vehicle, information for stopping or parking the autonomous driving vehicle for standby, and the like. Each item included in the first action plan may be different depending on the type of the second service. The destination is a destination for receiving the provision of the second service, for example, the position on the map of the cleaning facility, the position on the map of the space where the shared car is stopped or parked, the position on the map of the charging station, etc. Is. The traveling mode includes a mode of traveling as an individual vehicle, a mode of traveling as a taxi, and the like. When traveling as a taxi, a taxi that allows passengers who have indicated their intention to ride, such as raising their hands while driving (hereinafter referred to as a sink taxi), or a customer at a calling point designated by the customer. It includes a mode of traveling as a taxi to pick up (hereinafter referred to as a calling taxi). The driving schedule and the driving route are items mainly set in the taxi service. The travel schedule includes the priority and time of each travel mode. The driving route includes a driving area (center in front of the station, center in the city), a priority road (priority is given to the main street), and the like. The service determination unit 524 may refer to the storage unit 530 and change the first action plan while the second service is being provided (that is, during the second service period).

The service coordinating unit 525 coordinates the provision of the second service determined by the service determining unit 524. For example, the service coordinating unit 525 confirms whether or not the provided service to be provided can be provided before the start of the provided service, or confirms whether or not the provided service can be provided so as to be within the service period. .. If the confirmation result is negative (for example, the service cannot be provided so as to fit within the service period), the service coordinating unit 525 instructs the service determining unit 524 to decide the alternative plan. The service determination unit 524 sets the determined alternative as the provided service.

In addition, the service coordinating unit 525 predicts the arrival time of the autonomous vehicle at the return point (hereinafter referred to as the estimated arrival time) based on the traffic congestion of the road and the congestion status of the facilities used in the service while the service is being provided. Is derived.

Further, the service coordinating unit 525 changes the content of the service being provided when the setting of the service being provided is changed while the provided service is being provided. To change the settings for the service being provided, for example, the end time of the service period is changed (including shortening and extension), and the degree of service is changed (cleaning level is changed from "simple"). Change to "firm") etc. are included. The change of the end time of the service period may be changed by the owner X or may be changed by the service coordinating unit 525.

For example, when the owner X instructs the end of the service being provided, the service coordinating unit 525 terminates (or interrupts) the service being provided, and immediately controls the vehicle so that the self-driving vehicle is driven toward the return point. Instruct device 5. If it takes time for the self-driving vehicle to return to the return point, the service coordinating unit 525 may arrange an alternative vehicle to pick up the owner X who waits at the return point. In addition, when the self-driving car is riding a passenger as a share car or a taxi, the service adjustment unit 525 arranges another vehicle for the passenger who is riding in the self-driving car to transfer, and the self-driving car returns to the return point. You may be able to go back. The processing by these service adjustment units 525 will be described in detail in the end instruction processing described later.

Further, the service coordinating unit 525 changes the content of the service being provided when it is predicted that the setting of the service being provided is changed during the provision of the service being provided. For example, the service adjustment unit 525 derives an estimated arrival time at which the autonomous driving vehicle arrives at the return point, and predicts that the autonomous driving vehicle will be delayed if the derived estimated arrival time exceeds the set return time. In this case, the service coordinating unit 525 instructs the vehicle control device 5 to terminate (or interrupt) the service being provided and immediately drive the self-driving vehicle toward the return point. Further, the service adjustment unit 525 acquires the position information of the owner X with reference to the position information 533, derives the predicted time when the owner X arrives at the return point, and the derived predicted time exceeds the end time of the service period. If so, it is predicted that owner X will be delayed. In this case, the service coordinating unit 525 may change the settings (return time and return point) of the service being provided to extend the service being provided. The processing by these service adjustment units 525 will be described in detail in the service adjustment processing described later.

In addition, the service adjustment unit 525 sets the service being provided (return time, return point, etc.) based on the estimated arrival time of the autonomous driving vehicle derived based on the traffic congestion of the road and the congestion status of the facilities used for the service. ) May be changed and transmitted to the terminal device 300. When the service coordinating unit 525 receives an instruction from the terminal device 300 to approve the change of the setting of the service being provided, the service coordinating unit 525 continues to provide the service with the changed content. As a result, the service being provided can be completed as scheduled.

Further, the service adjustment unit 525 may determine whether to change the service based on the importance of the schedule set in the usage schedule of the autonomous driving vehicle. For example, if a schedule of high importance is reserved after the service period, the service coordinating unit 525 does not change the content beyond the end time of the service period.

Further, the service adjustment unit 525 may refer to the service condition information 532 and determine whether or not to change the service based on the change tolerance which is one of the conditions. For example, the service coordinating unit 525 determines that the service is changed when the change tolerance is high, and determines that the service is not changed when the change tolerance is low.

The cleaning management unit 526 communicates with the vehicle allocation management server 900 using the communication unit 510, transmits a request instruction for searching the cleaning facility in response to the request of the owner X, and receives the search result. The cleaning management unit 526 refers to the service condition information 532 of the storage unit 530 and determines a cleaning facility that matches the service conditions from the search results.

The vehicle allocation management unit 527 refers to the storage unit 530, searches for an autonomous driving vehicle that matches the vehicle allocation request received from the vehicle allocation management server 900 (or the customer), and outputs call information to the autonomous driving vehicle obtained by the search. Send. The autonomous driving vehicle that matches the vehicle allocation request is, for example, a vehicle that satisfies the vehicle allocation condition among a plurality of autonomous driving vehicles registered in advance in the storage unit 530. The vehicle allocation conditions include, for example, that the number of people reserved is less than the capacity, it is possible to arrive at the calling place by the meeting time, and after traveling as a taxi to the destination, it returns to the return point by the end time of the service period. It includes being able to come. Further, the vehicle allocation condition may include satisfying the service condition. Satisfying the service condition includes, for example, that the attribute of the customer who called the taxi satisfies the user restriction of the service condition, the destination is within the range of the area restriction, and the like.

The call information includes the call location, the number of reservations, the destination, the attribute information of the customer (smoker, pet companion, etc.), the customer's email address, the identification information assigned to the customer, the reservation number, and the like. The vehicle allocation management unit 527 generates call information based on the vehicle allocation request from the vehicle allocation management server 900.

The charging management unit 528 communicates with a management server (not shown) that manages the charging station, etc. using the communication unit 510, sends a request instruction for searching the charging station, etc. in response to the request of the owner X, and sends a search result. To receive. The charge management unit 528 refers to the service condition information 532 of the storage unit 530 and determines a charging station or the like that matches the service condition from the search results.

[Vehicle control device 5]
Next, the vehicle control device 5 will be described. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the vehicle control device 5 according to the embodiment. The vehicle on which the vehicle control device 5 is mounted is, for example, a vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, or a four-wheeled vehicle, and the drive source thereof is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. The electric motor operates by using the electric power generated by the generator connected to the internal combustion engine or the electric power generated by the secondary battery or the fuel cell.

The vehicle control device 5 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a finder 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, and a navigation device 50. , MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, an in-vehicle camera 70, a driving controller 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a traveling driving force output device 200, a braking device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and devices are connected to each other by a multiplex communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, or the like. The configuration shown in FIG. 8 is merely an example, and a part of the configuration may be omitted or another configuration may be added.

The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is attached to an arbitrary position of the autonomous driving vehicle on which the vehicle control device 5 is mounted. When photographing the front, the camera 10 is attached to the upper part of the front windshield, the back surface of the rear-view mirror, and the like. The camera 10 periodically and repeatedly captures the periphery of the autonomous driving vehicle, for example. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera.

The radar device 12 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves around the self-driving vehicle, and also detects radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by the object to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is attached to an arbitrary position of the self-driving vehicle. The radar device 12 may detect the position and velocity of the object by the FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

The finder 14 is a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The finder 14 irradiates the periphery of the self-driving vehicle with light and measures the scattered light. The finder 14 detects the distance to the target based on the time from light emission to light reception. The emitted light is, for example, a pulsed laser beam. The finder 14 is attached to any part of the self-driving vehicle.

The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results of a part or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14, and recognizes the position, type, speed, and the like of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the automatic operation control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may output the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 to the automatic driving control device 100 as they are. The object recognition device 16 may be omitted from the vehicle control device 5.

The communication device 20 communicates with other vehicles existing in the vicinity of the autonomous driving vehicle by using, for example, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), or wirelessly. Communicates with various server devices via the base station.

The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupants of the autonomous driving vehicle and accepts input operations by the occupants. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, keys and the like.

The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of an automatically driven vehicle, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects an angular speed around a vertical axis, an orientation sensor that detects the orientation of an automatically driven vehicle, and the like.

The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a routing unit 53. The navigation device 50 holds the first map information 54 in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 identifies the position of the self-driving vehicle based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite. The position of the self-driving vehicle may be specified or complemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. The navigation HMI 52 may be partially or wholly shared with the above-mentioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53 is, for example, a route from the position of the autonomous driving vehicle specified by the GNSS receiver 51 (or an arbitrary position input) to the destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI 52 (hereinafter referred to as “the route”). The route on the map) is determined with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is, for example, information in which a road shape is expressed by a link indicating a road and a node connected by the link. The first map information 54 may include road curvature, POI (Point Of Interest) information, and the like. The route on the map is output to MPU60. The navigation device 50 may provide route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 may be realized by, for example, the function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal owned by an occupant. The navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and the destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20 and acquire a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and holds the second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, divides the route into 100 [m] units with respect to the vehicle traveling direction), and refers to the second map information 62. Determine the recommended lane for each block. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines which lane to drive from the left. When the route on the map has a branch point, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the recommended lane so that the self-driving vehicle can travel on a reasonable route to proceed to the branch destination.

The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of the lane, information on the boundary of the lane, and the like. Further, the second map information 62 may include road information, traffic regulation information, address information (address / zip code), facility information, telephone number information, and the like. The second map information 62 may be updated at any time by the communication device 20 communicating with another device.

The in-vehicle camera 70 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS. The in-vehicle camera 70 is attached to an arbitrary position for taking an image of the inside of the self-driving vehicle.

The driving controller 80 includes, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a deformed steering wheel, a joystick, and other controls. A sensor for detecting the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation is attached to the operation controller 80, and the detection result is the automatic operation control device 100, or the traveling driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device. It is output to a part or all of 220.

The automatic operation control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software), respectively. Further, some or all of these components may be realized by hardware such as LSI, ASIC, FPGA, GPU (circuit unit; including circuitry), or realized by collaboration between software and hardware. May be done. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory of the automatic operation control device 100, or is stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and the storage medium is a drive device. It may be installed in the HDD or the flash memory of the automatic operation control device 100 by being attached to the automatic operation control device 100.

FIG. 9 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, a recognition unit 130 and an action plan generation unit 140. The first control unit 120, for example, realizes a function by AI (Artificial Intelligence) and a function by a model given in advance in parallel. For example, the function of "recognizing an intersection" is executed in parallel with the recognition of an intersection by deep learning and the like, and the recognition based on a predetermined condition (there is a signal that can be pattern matched, a road sign, etc.). It may be realized by scoring and comprehensively evaluating. This ensures the reliability of autonomous driving.

The recognition unit 130 determines the position, speed, acceleration, and other states of objects in the vicinity of the autonomous driving vehicle based on the information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 via the object recognition device 16. recognize. The position of the object is recognized as, for example, a position on absolute coordinates with a representative point (center of gravity, center of drive axis, etc.) of the autonomous driving vehicle as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or may be represented by a represented area. The "state" of an object may include the object's acceleration, jerk, or "behavioral state" (eg, whether it is changing lanes or is about to change lanes).

Further, the recognition unit 130 recognizes, for example, the lane (traveling lane) in which the autonomous driving vehicle is traveling. For example, the recognition unit 130 may use the road lane marking pattern (for example, an arrangement of solid lines and broken lines) obtained from the second map information 62 and the road lane markings around the self-driving vehicle recognized from the image captured by the camera 10. By comparing with the pattern of, the driving lane is recognized. The recognition unit 130 may recognize the traveling lane by recognizing not only the road marking line but also the running road boundary (road boundary) including the road marking line, the shoulder, the median strip, the guardrail, and the like. .. In this recognition, the position of the autonomous driving vehicle acquired from the navigation device 50 and the processing result by the INS may be added. The recognition unit 130 also recognizes stop lines, obstacles, red lights, tollhouses, and other road events.

When recognizing a traveling lane, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and posture of the autonomous driving vehicle with respect to the traveling lane. The recognition unit 130 determines, for example, the deviation of the reference point of the self-driving vehicle from the center of the lane and the angle formed with respect to the line connecting the center of the lane in the traveling direction of the self-driving vehicle with respect to the relative position of the self-driving vehicle with respect to the traveling lane. And may be recognized as a posture. Instead, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position of the reference point of the autonomous driving vehicle with respect to any side end portion (road division line or road boundary) of the traveling lane as the relative position of the autonomous driving vehicle with respect to the traveling lane. You may.

The action plan generation unit 140 generates, for example, a second action plan of the autonomous driving vehicle in the service period according to the service managed by the service management device 500. The second action plan includes information for driving the self-driving vehicle and information for stopping or parking the self-driving vehicle for standby. The first action plan is a rough action plan determined to execute the service, and the second action plan is a detailed action plan for running or stopping the autonomous driving vehicle. The second action plan includes an event of automatic driving determined by the event determination unit 142, a target trajectory generated by the target trajectory generation unit 144, and the like.

The action plan generation unit 140 includes, for example, an event determination unit 142, a target trajectory generation unit 144, and a service management control unit 146. The event determination unit 142 determines the event of automatic driving on the route where the recommended lane is determined. An event is information that defines a driving mode of an autonomous vehicle. Autonomous driving events include constant speed driving events, low speed following driving events, lane change events, branching events, merging events, takeover events, and the like. Further, the event determination unit 142 changes the already determined event to another event or newly determines an event according to the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit 130 when the autonomous driving vehicle is traveling. You may do it.

The target track generation unit 144 is, in principle, for the autonomous driving vehicle to travel in the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61, and to respond to the surrounding conditions when the autonomous driving vehicle travels in the recommended lane. , Generates a future target track that will automatically drive the autonomous vehicle (independent of the driver's operation) in the driving mode specified by the event. The target track includes, for example, a position element that determines the position of the future autonomous vehicle and a speed element that determines the speed of the future autonomous vehicle. For example, the target trajectory generation unit 144 generates a target trajectory according to the event activated by the event determination unit 142.

For example, the target track generation unit 144 determines a plurality of points (track points) that the autonomous driving vehicle should reach in order as position elements of the target track. The track point is a point to be reached by the autonomous driving vehicle for each predetermined mileage (for example, about several [m]). The predetermined mileage may be calculated, for example, by the road distance when traveling along the route.

Further, the target trajectory generation unit 144 determines the target speed and the target acceleration for each predetermined sampling time (for example, about 0 comma number [sec]) as the velocity elements of the target trajectory. Further, the track point may be a position to be reached by the autonomous driving vehicle at the sampling time for each predetermined sampling time. In this case, the target velocity and the target acceleration are determined by the sampling time and the interval between the orbital points. The target trajectory generation unit 144 outputs information indicating the generated target trajectory to the second control unit 160.

The service management control unit 146 drives the self-driving vehicle in the service period determined by the service management device 500, and drives the self-driving vehicle so as to return to the return point by the end time of the service period. For example, the service management control unit 146 can clean the self-driving vehicle according to the instruction from the service management device 500 (or according to the first action plan created by the service management device 500), such as a cleaning facility, a taxi calling place, a charging station, and the like. Drive towards. Here, the service management control unit 146 instructs the navigation device 50 to determine the route to the destination based on, for example, the first action plan received from the service management device 500. As a result, the MPU 60 determines the recommended lane, the event determination unit 142 determines the event, and the target trajectory generation unit 144 generates the target trajectory. By controlling each device by the second control unit 160 based on the information output from the first control unit 120 by such processing, the autonomous driving vehicle can travel according to the first action plan.

Further, the service management control unit 146 monitors whether or not the service use end time has come, based on the service use end time received from the service management device 500. When the service end time has come (just at that time, or when that time has passed, the same shall apply hereinafter), the service management control unit 146 terminates or interrupts the service and drives the autonomous driving vehicle toward the return point. ..

In this way, the action plan generation unit 140 can generate a second action plan for driving or stopping the autonomous driving vehicle according to the first action plan instructed by the service management device 500. For example, the service management control unit 146 drives the self-driving vehicle along the optimum route to the cleaning facility, and when the cleaning at the cleaning facility is completed, the self-driving vehicle is driven along the optimum route to the return point. Let it run. Further, the service management control unit 146 may drive the autonomous driving vehicle as a sink taxi until there is a call from the customer, and may drive the autonomous driving vehicle as a calling taxi when there is a call from the customer. In addition, the service management control unit 146 temporarily terminates the running as a taxi and automatically drives the vehicle to the parking lot until the return time when the period in which the customer is not caught exceeds a predetermined period in the situation where the taxi is running as a sink taxi. May be parked.

The second control unit 160 sets the traveling driving force output device 200, the braking device 210, and the steering device 220 so that the autonomous driving vehicle passes the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit 140 at the scheduled time. Control.

Returning to FIG. 9, the second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires the information of the target trajectory (orbit point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140 and stores it in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 164 controls the traveling driving force output device 200 or the brake device 210 based on the speed element associated with the target trajectory stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the degree of bending of the target trajectory stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 is realized by, for example, a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. As an example, the steering control unit 166 executes a combination of feedforward control according to the curvature of the road in front of the autonomous driving vehicle and feedback control based on the deviation from the target track.

The traveling driving force output device 200 outputs a traveling driving force (torque) for the vehicle to travel to the drive wheels. The traveling driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, a motor, a transmission, and the like, and an ECU that controls them. The ECU controls the above configuration according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the operation controller 80.

The brake device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder for transmitting hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor for generating hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the operation controller 80 so that the brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake device 210 may include a mechanism for transmitting the hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal included in the operation operator 80 to the cylinder via the master cylinder as a backup. The brake device 210 is not limited to the configuration described above, and is an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls the actuator according to the information input from the second control unit 160 to transmit the oil pressure of the master cylinder to the cylinder. It is also good.

The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor, for example, exerts a force on the rack and pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steering wheel. The steering ECU drives the electric motor according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the operation controller 80, and changes the direction of the steering wheel.

[Sequence Diagram]
Hereinafter, the flow of a series of processes by the vehicle control system 1 of the embodiment will be described with reference to a sequence diagram. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow of a series of processes by the vehicle control system 1 of the embodiment. For example, the processing of this sequence diagram may be repeated at a predetermined cycle.

First, the owner X inputs the usage schedule of the self-driving vehicle using the terminal device 300 (step S1). The terminal device 300 transmits information indicating the usage schedule of the autonomous driving vehicle to the service management device 500 via the network NW based on the operation by the owner X (step S2). Further, the owner X may input the usage schedule of the self-driving vehicle using the HMI 30 of the vehicle control device 5 (step S3). The vehicle control device 5 transmits information indicating the usage schedule of the self-driving vehicle to the service management device 500 via the network NW based on the operation by the owner X (step S4). The service management device 500 updates the schedule information 531 of the storage unit 530 based on the information received from the terminal device 300 or the vehicle control device 5 (step S5).

Next, the owner X inputs the service conditions for the self-driving vehicle using the terminal device 300 (step S6). The terminal device 300 transmits information indicating the service condition to the service management device 500 via the network NW based on the operation by the owner X (step S7). Further, the owner X may input the service condition for the self-driving vehicle by using the HMI 30 of the vehicle control device 5 (step S8). The vehicle control device 5 transmits information indicating service conditions to the service management device 500 via the network NW based on the operation by the owner X (step S9). The service management device 500 updates the service condition information 532 of the storage unit 530 based on the received information (step S10).

Then, the service management device 500 executes the service determination process (step S11). The details of this service determination process will be described later. Next, when a predetermined time before the start time of the second service determined by the service determination process is reached, the service management device 500 executes the advance confirmation process (step S12). This pre-confirmation process determines whether or not the provided service can be provided before providing the provided service, provides the provided service if the provided service can be provided, and substitutes if the provided service cannot be provided. It is a process of deciding a plan and starting to provide an alternative service. The details of the prior confirmation process will be described later. The service management device 500 transmits the processing result of the prior confirmation process to the terminal device 300 (step S13). The terminal device 300 displays the processing result of the pre-confirmation process on its own display unit based on the received information (step S14). Further, the service management device 500 may transmit the processing result of the prior confirmation process to the vehicle control device 5 (step S15). The vehicle control device 5 causes the HMI 30 to display the processing result of the prior confirmation processing based on the received information (step S16).

During the provision of the second service, when the terminal device 300 receives an operation instructing the change of the return time from the owner X (step S21), the terminal device 300 transmits the change content to the service management device 500 (step S22). The service management device 500 executes the end instruction process (step S23) based on the change content received from the terminal device 300, and transmits the process result to the terminal device 300 (step S24). The details of the end instruction processing will be described later. The terminal device 300 displays the received information on its own display unit (step S25). Further, when the service management device 500 changes the first action plan (destination, traveling mode, traveling schedule, traveling route, etc.) of the autonomous driving vehicle in the end instruction processing, the service management device 500 transmits the changed contents to the vehicle control device 5 ( Step S26). The vehicle control device 5 controls the self-driving vehicle according to the change content received from the service management device 500 (step S27).

Next, while the second service is being provided, the service management device 500 executes the service adjustment process (step S31) and transmits the process result to the terminal device 300 (step S32). The details of the service adjustment process will be described later. The terminal device 300 displays the received information on its own display unit (step S33). Further, when the service management device 500 changes the first action plan of the self-driving vehicle in the service adjustment process, the service management device 500 transmits the changed content to the vehicle control device 5 (step S34). The vehicle control device 5 controls the self-driving vehicle according to the change content received from the service management device 500 (step S35).

[Processing flow]
Hereinafter, the flow of each process by the service management device 500 of the embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the service determination process by the service management device 500. The processing of this flowchart is performed for each autonomous driving vehicle.

The service determination unit 524 determines the service period when the predetermined timing is reached (step S101). The predetermined timing is, for example, the timing at which the schedule information 531 is updated, the timing at which the preset designated time (2:00 am every day) is reached, and the like. When the service period is determined, the service determination unit 524 determines whether or not the type of the second service in the determined service period is set by the owner X (step S103). When the type of the second service in the service period is specified, for example, in the usage schedule of the self-driving vehicle, the service determination unit 524 determines the second service of the specified type as the providing service (step S105), and determines the provided service. The first action plan according to the service is determined (step S107). The service determination unit 524 registers the information regarding the determined provided service and the first action plan in the usage history information 535 of the storage unit 530.

If the type of the second service in the service period is not set in step S103, the service determination unit 524 determines one or more service candidates in the service period (step S109). Then, the service determination unit 524 transmits the information indicating the service candidate to the terminal device 300 or the vehicle control device 5 and notifies the owner X (step S111). Next, the service determination unit 524 determines whether or not any of the service candidates has been selected by the owner X (step S113). When information indicating any of the service candidates is received from the terminal device 300 or the vehicle control device 5, the service determination unit 524 determines the service candidate selected by the owner X as the service to be provided (step S115), and determines the service candidate. The first action plan according to the provided service is determined (step S107).

In step S113, if any one of the service candidates is not selected by the owner X within a predetermined time after notifying the owner X of the service candidate, the service management device 500 determines whether the automatic setting is valid. (Step S117). The fact that the automatic setting is effective means that the owner X consents to the service determination unit 524 determining the optimum second service as the providing service. When the automatic setting is enabled, the service determination unit 524 determines, for example, the second service that best matches the service conditions from the service candidates as the provided service (step S119), and the first action plan according to the determined provided service. Is determined (step S107).

Next, FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the pre-confirmation process by the service management device 500. The processing of this flowchart is performed for each autonomous driving vehicle.

When the service adjustment unit 525 is earlier than the start time of the service period by a predetermined time (for example, one hour), the service adjustment unit 525 determines whether or not the provided service can be provided so as to be within the service period (step S201). For example, when the self-driving vehicle is driven based on the first action plan determined by the service determination unit 524, the service adjustment unit 525 determines whether or not the vehicle can return to the return point by the end time of the service period. judge. When returning, the service coordinating unit 525 determines that the provided service can be provided so as to be within the service period. When the provided service can be provided so as to be within the service period, the service management device 500 determines to start providing the provided service (step S203). After deciding to start providing the provided service, the service coordinating unit 525 determines whether or not it is the start time of the service period of the provided service, and when the start time is reached, the service coordinating unit starts providing the provided service. ..

In step S201, if the provided service cannot be provided so as to be within the service period, the service coordinating unit 525 sends a continuation confirmation notice for confirming whether or not to continue providing the provided service to the terminal device 300 or the vehicle control. It is transmitted to the device 5 (step S204). For example, the service adjustment unit 525 derives the estimated arrival time of the autonomous driving vehicle, and derives the delay time based on the derived estimated arrival time and the end time of the service period. The service adjustment unit 525 transmits the derived information indicating the estimated arrival time, the delay time, and the like to the terminal device 300 or the vehicle control device 5. Thereby, if the return time of the self-driving vehicle is later than the schedule, the owner X can determine whether to cancel the provision of the provided service or to keep the provided service as it is before the provision of the provided service. The service adjustment unit 525 determines whether or not to maintain the setting of the provided service based on the information received from the terminal device 300 or the vehicle control device 5 (step S205).

When the information indicating that the setting of the provided service is maintained is received from the terminal device 300 or the vehicle control device 5 in step S205, the service adjustment unit 525 shifts to step S203. If the owner X has set that the continuation confirmation notification is unnecessary, the service adjustment unit 525 may proceed to step S415 without transmitting the continuation confirmation notification.

When the information indicating that the setting of the provided service is not maintained is received from the terminal device 300 or the vehicle control device 5 in step S205, the service determination unit 524 determines an alternative plan (step S207). For example, the service determination unit 524 determines as an alternative a service that fits within the service period from one or more service candidates determined in the service determination process. If there are a plurality of services that fit within the service period, the service determination unit 524 may determine the service that best matches the service conditions as an alternative plan. Then, the service adjustment unit 525 transmits the alternative acceptance confirmation notification to the terminal device 300 or the vehicle control device 5 (step S209). The alternative acceptance confirmation notice is a notice for confirming whether or not to approve the change from the provided service to the alternative plan.

The service adjustment unit 525 determines whether or not to change to the alternative plan based on the response to the alternative acceptance confirmation notification received from the terminal device 300 or the vehicle control device 5 (step S211). Upon receiving an instruction to change to the alternative from the terminal device 300 or the vehicle control device 5, the service coordinating unit 525 decides to start providing the alternative (step S213). If the instruction to change to the alternative is not received in step S211, the provision of the second service during the service period is stopped (step S215).

Next, FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the end instruction process by the service management device 500. The process of this flowchart is a process executed during the provision of the provided service, and is performed for each autonomous driving vehicle. This termination instruction processing is useful, for example, when the owner X wishes to interrupt the service for some reason while the service is being provided.

The service coordinating unit 525 determines whether or not the end of service provision has been instructed by the owner X (step S301). When the service provision termination instruction is received from the terminal device 300, the service coordinating unit 525 refers to the position information 533 and the vehicle status information 534, and refers to the current status of the target autonomous driving vehicle (for example, the progress of the service). , Current position, etc.) (step S303). Then, the service adjustment unit 525 determines whether or not the self-driving vehicle can immediately start traveling toward the return point and return to the return point within a predetermined time based on the acquired current status of the self-driving vehicle. (Step S305). In step S305, if the vehicle can return to the return point within a predetermined time, the service adjustment unit 525 instructs the vehicle control device 5 to start traveling toward the return point (step S307). When the service being provided is interrupted by the process of step S307, the service adjustment unit 525 notifies the cleaning management server 700 or the vehicle allocation management server 900 to that effect. As a result, the self-driving vehicle can be returned to the return point within a predetermined time from the end instruction of the service provision from the owner X.

If the vehicle cannot return to the return point within the predetermined time in step S305, the service adjustment unit 525 derives the estimated arrival time when the autonomous vehicle immediately starts traveling toward the return point and transmits it to the terminal device 300. (Step S309).

In step S309, the service coordinating unit 525 also transmits the alternative vehicle arrangement confirmation notice for confirming whether or not to arrange the alternative vehicle to the terminal device 300. When the information instructing the arrangement of the alternative vehicle is received from the terminal device 300 (step S311), the service coordinating unit 525 arranges the alternative vehicle that can arrive at the return point within the predetermined time, and the information about the arranged alternative vehicle is transmitted to the terminal. It is transmitted to the device 300 (step S313). For example, the service coordinating unit 525 transmits a vehicle allocation request for an alternative vehicle to the vehicle allocation management server 900, and receives information on the alternative vehicle allocated by the vehicle allocation management server 900. As a result, the owner X can use the alternative vehicle even if his / her self-driving vehicle cannot return to the return point within the predetermined time.

Further, in step S309, the service coordinating unit 525 may transmit a continuation request confirmation notice to the terminal device 300 for confirming whether or not to interrupt the service being provided and request the other vehicle to continue the service. good. When receiving information from the terminal device 300 instructing the other vehicle to continue the service being provided (step S315), the service coordinating unit 525 arranges another vehicle capable of continuing the service being provided. Information about the arranged other vehicle is transmitted to the terminal device 300 (step S317). For example, the service coordinating unit 525 transmits a vehicle allocation request for another vehicle capable of continuing the service being provided to the vehicle allocation management server 900, and receives information on the other vehicle allocated by the vehicle allocation management server 900. As a result, the owner X can return his self-driving vehicle to the return point as soon as possible.

Then, when a substitute vehicle or another vehicle is arranged in step S313 or step S317, the service adjustment unit 525 transmits the result to the terminal device 300 and notifies the owner (step S319).

If the estimated arrival time derived in step S309 exceeds the predetermined time (when the waiting time is likely to be prolonged), or when a substitute vehicle or another vehicle cannot be arranged, the service adjustment unit 525 May determine that the service being provided cannot be terminated or interrupted, and transmit the determination result to the terminal device 300.

Next, FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the service adjustment process by the service management device 500. The process of this flowchart is a process executed during the provision of the provided service, and is performed for each autonomous driving vehicle.

The service adjustment unit 525 refers to the position information 533 and the vehicle status information 534, and acquires the current status (for example, the progress status of the service, the current position, etc.) of the target autonomous driving vehicle (step S401). The service adjustment unit 525 determines whether or not the self-driving vehicle can return to the return point by the return time based on the acquired current status of the self-driving vehicle (step S403). For example, the service coordinating unit 525 derives a predicted arrival time to arrive at the return point based on the current status of the self-driving vehicle, and when the derived predicted arrival time is earlier than the return time, the self-driving vehicle It is determined that the vehicle can return to the return point by the return time. When it is determined in step S403 that the self-driving vehicle can return to the return point by the return time, the service adjustment unit 525 determines that the period from the service use end time to the return time (hereinafter referred to as the surplus period) is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. (Step S405).

When the surplus period is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the service determination unit 524 determines the provided service that can be provided in the surplus period (step S407). As the method for determining the provided service here, the same method as the method for determining the fulfilled provided service can be used. As a result, the provided service can be provided during the surplus period.

In step S403, if the self-driving vehicle cannot return to the return point by the return time, the service coordinating unit 525 sends a continuation confirmation notification to the terminal device 300 to confirm whether or not to continue the service being provided. (Step S409). When the information instructing not to continue the service being provided is received from the terminal device 300 (step S411), the service coordinating unit 525 executes each process for terminating or interrupting the service being provided (step S413). ). For example, when traveling as a sink taxi, the service adjustment unit 525 ends the travel as a taxi. Further, when a customer is carried as a taxi or a shared car, the service coordinating unit 525 may arrange another vehicle capable of continuing the service being provided and transmit information about the arranged other vehicle to the terminal device 300. ..

When the service being provided is interrupted in step S413, the service coordinating unit 525 may send an interruption possibility confirmation notice to the vehicle control device 5 for confirming whether or not the service being provided can be interrupted. The vehicle control device 5 causes the HMI 30 to display a notice of confirmation of whether or not interruption is possible. This makes it possible to confirm whether or not the cleaning staff, taxi passengers, etc. who provide the cleaning service can suspend the service. When the service coordinating unit 525 receives from the vehicle control device 5 the information indicating that the interruption of the service being provided is accepted, the information indicating that the service being provided is interrupted and the interruption of the service being provided is not accepted is not accepted. May be determined that the service being provided cannot be interrupted when the service is received from the vehicle control device 5, and a process for continuing the service may be executed.

When the information instructing to continue the service being provided is received from the terminal device 300 in step S411, the service coordinating unit 525 determines how to spend according to the time length from the return time to the predicted arrival time. It is transmitted to the terminal device 300 (step S415). For example, the service coordinating unit 525 refers to the location information 533, acquires information about facilities such as a cafe and a karaoke box near the current position of the owner X from an external server, and transmits the information to the terminal device 300. If the owner X has set that the continuation confirmation notification is unnecessary, the service adjustment unit 525 may proceed to step S415 without transmitting the continuation confirmation notification.

Next, the service adjustment unit 525 determines whether or not the owner X can return to the return point by the return time (step S417). For example, the service adjustment unit 525 acquires the position information of the owner X with reference to the position information 533, derives the predicted time when the owner X arrives at the return point, and the derived predicted time exceeds the end time of the service period. Determine whether or not to do so. When the derived estimated time exceeds the end time of the service period, the service adjustment unit 525 changes the settings (return time and return point) of the service being provided, and changes the service content according to the change content (return time and return point). Step S419). For example, if the train on which the owner X is boarding is delayed, or if the departure of the owner X is delayed and the owner X is delayed, the service coordinating department 525 extends the return time and the running time as a taxi or The charging time in the charging equipment can be extended.

According to the embodiment described above, in the non-use period set in the usage schedule of the self-driving vehicle by the user, in the non-use period in which the user does not use the self-driving vehicle, the user performs the self-driving car. Service management that automatically drives the self-driving vehicle according to the service management unit 520 that provides a predetermined service provided without using the vehicle and the predetermined service provided by the service management unit 520. By providing the control unit 146, the self-driving vehicle can be widely used by users other than the owner.

[Hardware configuration]
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the automatic operation control device 100 of the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the automatic operation control device 100 includes a communication controller 100-1, a CPU 100-2, a RAM 100-3 used as a working memory, a ROM 100-4 for storing a boot program, and a storage device such as a flash memory or an HDD. The 100-5, the drive device 100-6, and the like are connected to each other by an internal bus or a dedicated communication line. The communication controller 100-1 communicates with a component other than the automatic operation control device 100. The storage device 100-5 stores a program 100-5a executed by the CPU 100-2. This program is expanded to the RAM 100-3 by a DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller (not shown) or the like, and is executed by the CPU 100-2. As a result, a part or all of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 is realized.

Although the embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Can be added.

For example, at least one of the service management device 500 or the vehicle control device 5 may determine the return point of the self-driving vehicle based on the position information 533. For example, when the owner X moves from the shopping mall based on the owner position information, the service determination unit 524 may determine the position after the movement of the owner X as the return point.

Further, the service adjustment unit 525 may periodically distribute the position information of the vehicle to the terminal device 300 of the owner X based on the position information 533.

A part or all of the service management unit 520 of the service management device 500 and a part or all of each information stored in the storage unit 530 may be mounted on the vehicle control device 5, and the service management control included in the vehicle control device 5 may be mounted. The service management device 500 may include a part or all of the unit 146. That is, the "control unit" that automatically drives the autonomous driving vehicle according to the predetermined service managed by the service management control unit 146 includes at least one of the service management unit 520 and the service management control unit 146. ..

Further, the usage schedule of the self-driving vehicle may be set by the owner X or the like using the HMI 30. The "reception unit" that accepts the setting of the usage schedule of the autonomous driving vehicle by the user is the HMI 30 that directly accepts the setting by the owner X, and the communication device 20 that accepts the setting by the owner X via the network NW and the service management device 500. , The communication unit 510 that accepts the setting by the owner X via the network NW and the terminal device 300, and the like are included.

In addition, the second service is not limited to the services mentioned above, for example, a service to search for a cheaper parking lot and park it, a service to pick up after returning home once, and a service for children after sending adults to the office. It may be a service that sends us to a cram school.

1 ... Vehicle control system, 5 ... Vehicle control device, 300 ... Terminal device, 500 ... Service management device, 700 ... Cleaning management server, 900 ... Vehicle allocation management server, 10 ... Camera, 12 ... Radar device, 14 ... Finder, 16 ... Object recognition device, 20 ... communication device, 30 ... HMI, 40 ... vehicle sensor, 50 ... navigation device, 60 ... MPU, 70 ... in-vehicle camera, 80 ... driving controller, 100 ... automatic driving control device, 120 ... first control Unit, 130 ... recognition unit, 140 ... action plan generation unit, 142 ... event determination unit, 144 ... target trajectory generation unit, 146 ... service management control unit, 160 ... second control unit, 162 ... acquisition unit, 164 ... speed control Unit 166 ... Steering control unit, 200 ... Driving drive force output device, 210 ... Brake device, 220 ... Steering device, 510 ... Communication unit, 520 ... Service management unit, 530 ... Storage unit

Claims (7)

A service management unit that manages a predetermined service provided by the user without using the self-driving vehicle during the non-use period set in the usage schedule of the self-driving vehicle by the user.
A control unit for generating an action plan of the autonomous driving vehicle during the non-use period according to the predetermined service managed by the service management unit is provided.
The service management department
When it is predicted that the self-driving vehicle will not be able to return to the designated place by the designated time in the provision of the predetermined service, it is confirmed whether or not the provision of the service is continued to the terminal device of the user. Send a continuation confirmation notice to
When the control unit receives information from the terminal device instructing not to continue the service, the control unit terminates the service and terminates the service.
When the control unit receives information instructing the continuation of the service from the terminal device, the control unit determines a schedule candidate of the user according to the time length from the designated time to the predicted arrival time, and the schedule candidate is determined. To the terminal device,
Vehicle control system. The service management department
Notifying the user of one or more service candidates that the user can provide without using the self-driving vehicle, and processing so that the service selected by the user is provided as the predetermined service.
The vehicle control system according to claim 1. The service management department
Along with one or more service candidates that the user can provide without using the self-driving vehicle, the content of each service included in the service candidate, the required time of each service included in the service candidate, and the service. Notify the user of the attributes of a service that includes at least one of the change tolerances that indicate the ease of change of each service included in the candidates.
The vehicle control system according to claim 2. The service management department
At least one of the cases where the setting of the predetermined service being provided is changed or the setting of the predetermined service being provided is expected to be changed while the predetermined service is being provided. To change the content of the prescribed service being provided,
The vehicle control system according to claim 1. The service management department
The setting related to the predetermined service being provided is changed based on the information received from the terminal device of the user during the provision of the predetermined service.
The vehicle control system according to claim 1. The service management department
The predetermined service is determined based on the time information included in the usage schedule and the merging time at which the user joins the user after getting off the user.
The vehicle control system according to claim 1. One or more computers
During the non-use period set in the usage schedule of the self-driving vehicle by the user, the user manages a predetermined service provided without using the self-driving vehicle.
Depending on the predetermined service to generate an action plan of the automatically driven vehicle in the non-use period,
When it is predicted that the self-driving vehicle will not be able to return to the designated place by the designated time in the provision of the predetermined service, it is confirmed whether or not the provision of the service is continued to the terminal device of the user. Send a continuation confirmation notice to
When the information instructing not to continue the service is received from the terminal device, the service is terminated and the service is terminated.
When the information instructing to continue the service is received from the terminal device, the schedule candidate of the user according to the time length from the designated time to the predicted arrival time is determined, and the schedule candidate is sent to the terminal device. Send,
Vehicle control method.

Images